That Long Gone Summer
by UnimportantBystander
Summary: While Matthew is on a holiday in Europe, he falls in love. He didn't want to think about eventually having to go home though.
1. Chapter 1

This was originally written for the kinkmeme, and isn't even finished yet. Normally I don't de-anon before I write to the end, but I haven't uploaded anything on here for so long, and pretty much dropped the "Ask Netherlands and Canada" idea for now (I eventually will continue that though). So I figured I might as well post the first chapter for now at least. This one falls under the category "stories that I will most likely finish", so it should be fine to post it now.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Matthew Williams, eighteen years of age, Canadian, was now officially having the time of his life. It was only a few months ago that he had left his parental house and jumped on a plane to Europe to travel. He had dreamed of this for several years already and saved up the money he had until he had enough for a plane ticket to Paris.

Paris had been a suggestion from his father. The Frenchman always told the boy wonderful stories about his birth country and Matthew wanted to see it for himself. His other father however, had not a good word to spare about France, like a typical Englishman. How his parents ever ended up together was beyond him. They could never agree on anything and bickered a lot. It was a miracle that Matthew had been able to get away.

Then again, Arthur Kirkland didn't even know about the journey he was planning. He had conveniently departed when he had just left on a business trip. The man would never have allowed it. He kept it secret for Francis as long as he could as well, though at some point he felt he did have to tell him. It would feel wrong to leave without giving them any indication about where he had ran off to.

Francis had been excited for him, and even helped him plan the rest of his trip and brought him to the airport. On the condition that he would call a lot, of course.

Paris had been amazing and succeeded all his expectations. He didn't stay in the same place for long though. He took on small jobs to earn some extra cash, saw as much as possible of wherever he was, and went on to the next place. He slept on cheap campsites and the occasional hotel.

After France came Belgium. When he entered Flanders, his French skills didn't help him as much anymore. A lot of people still spoke it, but as he neared the Netherlands they became less, and the street signs were more difficult to decipher, too. Luckily a lot of people also spoke English.

Once in the Netherlands, he headed for Amsterdam. That was about one and a half month ago. He hadn´t planned on staying this long, really. But right now he didn´t feel like leaving any time soon. The reason was amazingly simple, and not one he had counted on when he left home. He had fallen in love. Both with the city and one of its citizens.

He met Lars at a café on his first night in Amsterdam. They got along really well and quickly became close friends. Lars took him out into Amsterdam and showed him the places he otherwise would've never come across. Before he knew it, Matthew found himself falling for the tall Dutchman. By the end of that week they shared a bed together for the first time. Suddenly Matthew wasn't as eager anymore to see the rest of Europe. And Lars didn't really want to let him go either. So it was decided that Matthew would stay in Amsterdam for the remainder of his holiday.

The language barrier didn´t make it easy to find a more steady job, but Lars taught him some basic Dutch and eventually he found a job as a cleaner somewhere. There wasn´t much talking involved in a job like that. It wasn't much, but it paid the bills, so he wasn't complaining.

Lars himself was a college student, five years his senior. The age difference didn't matter one bit to them though. During the summer Lars had a job as a security officer at some company. The Dutchman didn't like uptight clothes that much, but Matthew couldn't say he didn't enjoy the sight of Lars in his uniform when they met up after work. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the sight even more when those clothes were coming off.

**xXxXx**

Lars buried his face in Matthew's neck, leaving a few kisses there. A smile spread across his lips. "You know that you are amazing, right?"

Matthew didn't answer. He just ran his hands through the other's hair and sighed happily. The two were lying on the bed of Matthew's hotel room, still basking in the afterglow of their previous activities. Their naked bodies were snuggles up close to each other and their hands never left the other's body. Lars caressed Matthew's face softly. They leaned in to share a sweet kiss.

"So, have you thought about it yet?" Lars wanted to know.

"Hmm?"

"Ditching this place and come crash at mine," Lars said. "You're only wasting money here while my place doesn't cost you anything."

"Oh, so you're not going to make me pay rent?" Matthew teased.

"Hmm, I might," Lars ran a hand gently over the other's chest. "Not in money though. I'll take your body instead."

"But... you live on a _boat_," Matthew giggled as he softly tickled his stomach. Lars owned a houseboat that laid in one of the canals of Amsterdam. The first time he had taken Matthew home he had laughed at the idea of living in something like that (and at the same time felt bad about laughing at someone's home). He had gotten used to it though, and it turned out it was actually pretty cosy.

"So?" The Dutchman said and gave him a suggestive look. "I already know you don't get seasick."

Matthew gave him a playful punch for that. "Okay."

"Okay?" A large grin appeared on his face. "You're saying yes?"

"Yeah," A small blush crept onto Matthew's face. "I mean, if you really don't mind."

Lars answered that by pressing a firm kiss to the other's lips.

Matthew wrapped his arms around Lars' neck. "So, should I pay the rent up front?"

"You are more than welcome to," Lars said.

They shared a passionate kiss and Lars' hands were already roaming his body when a sharp knock on the door interrupted them. They broke apart and Matthew sighed. "Why do they always gets the wrong door," He mumbled. "I'm sorry, we didn't order anything!" He shouted at the door.

"This isn't bloody room service!" A man shouted back from the other side of the door.

Matthew grunted and started to look for his clothes. "One moment!"

Lars grumbled as he got out of the bed, "I'll handle this," He threw on some boxers and went to answer the door. He looked down at the man that had been ramming on their door. "Did the neighbours complain about the noise? Look, we'll try to keep it down, okay?"

He man looked at him as if he was insane. He had obviously neither expected the tall Dutchman to open the door, nor him to state something like that. When Lars wanted to close the door again, he blocked it with his foot. "Where's Matthew?" He demanded.

Matthew, who was elsewhere in the room halfway in pulling his shirt on, recognized the voice and suddenly felt like his heart had stopped dead in his chest. He sped towards the door and stared at the man in disbelief. "D-dad?"

Arthur took one look at the in boxers and shirt clad boy and an angry flush appeared on his face. "You disappear for months without even a goodbye, and _this_ is what you've been doing?" He didn't raise his voice, but the tone with which he spoke made Matthew flinch. Then he looked up at the Dutchman. "You. Out."

Lars raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Arthur pushed past him and stepped into the room. Before he even knew what was happening, Lars was pushed out into the hallway and the door had slammed shut. Lars knocked on the door loudly. "Hey!" He opened it briefly again, only to shove his clothes into his hands. Then it slammed into his face.

"Dad! You can't do this!" Matthew protested.

"Yes I can!" Arthur said firmly. "Have you _any_ idea how worried we were?"

"I called papa every two days! He would've known if something happened!"

"Him, yes! The incompetent bastard. Did you answer any of _my_ calls?" He asked accusingly.

"No I didn't! Because if I did you would tell me to come straight home and you'd keep me there and I would never be able to actually do something with my life!" Matthew never really raised his voice. Though now was an exception. His father had caught him completely off guard and he was upset.

"Doing something with your life? You mean running away from home and coming here to shag some random guy? How old is he? He can't be your age!"

"Don't talk about him l-like that!" Sobs started to escape his throat. He was too upset to even bother trying to hold them back. "If I j-just wanted a shag I f-fucking would've stayed in C-Canada!"

"Watch your mouth, young man! And pack your bags. We're leaving tonight."

And that was the last of the argument that Lars heard. He had gotten dressed and was now sitting against the wall next to the door, waiting for them to come out. All he heard now were small sobs and mumbled words, and eventually they died out too.

When the door finally opened again he quickly stood up. Matthew, eyes red from crying and a large backpack on his back, made a move towards him, but was instantly pulled back by his father. "I'm sorry..." He said softly and followed after the Englishman.


	2. Chapter 2

Don't hate Arthur too much, you guys. He's just trying to be a responsible parent. And you can't blame him for being worried. XD And for the people who thought Lars would hop on a plane and follow him, tough chance. He doesn't really have the money, and it's not like he would be welcomed there. Besides, the Angst tag is there for a reason.

But at least there's fluff in this chapter? 8D And I'm thinking of doing a Halloween oneshot, since I love their costume designs so much. It will probably be late, because I'm slow, but yeah. I'll try to get it done at least. XD

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

The whole trip home Matthew didn't speak another word, apart from the absolutely necessary. And as if he didn't feel bad enough, Arthur felt the need to continuously lecture him about what he'd done. How stupid he had been to do this, how much money Arthur had to waste to come get him (which Matthew answered in his head with "You shouldn't have bothered."), and more that Matthew _really_ didn't want to hear right now.

He looked out the window and managed to tune out Arthur for the most part. One thought never really left his mind; if only he had agreed to stay at Lars' place sooner, his father probably wouldn't have found him that easily.

He knew he had to leave Lars and go home eventually, but this certainly wasn't the way he had ever hoped to go. Especially not since he had planned to stay at least until the end of the summer. They didn't even have time for a proper goodbye. And oh, the ways in which he had wanted to say goodbye. He couldn't do any of that now.

Arthur elbowed him in his side and Matthew looked around. "Fasten your seatbelt," He instructed.

Matthew looked up and saw that the seatbelt light had jumped on, which meant they were about to take off. He fastened his seatbelt with much reluctance, playing with the thought that if he would refuse maybe they would kick him off the plane.

With the queasy feeling he already had in his stomach, the take off didn't go over particularly well for the Canadian. In fact, he could only just grab a paper bag in time to empty the contents of his stomach in, earning him another disapproving look.

During the rest of the flight Matthew got some time to himself, since Arthur (who should still had to be suffering from the jetlag of his previous flight) was sleeping soundly in the chair next to him. The uneasy feeling in his stomach kept him from getting any sleep himself. He just looked out the window to take his mind off things, but the Dutchman never left his thoughts.

He wondered how the other felt about this. Was he as upset as Matthew was? Perhaps he would just shrug it off and get on with his life. What had Matthew even meant to him? Back in the Netherlands it had been pretty obvious that they were a couple, even though they had never really agreed on anything out loud. It just felt natural to be together. He hadn't even ever told Lars he loved him, neither the other way around. There didn't seem a need to at that moment. They just let their actions speak for them.

Only that left Matthew to wonder now. Had he really been just a shag to Lars? Now that he thought about this, that sounded very much possible. He wasn't all that handsome, or talented, or interesting even. Not to mention that he couldn't stay with Lars forever. How could he have been more than a convenient shag?

Matthew mentally slapped himself for these thoughts. He shouldn't soil his memories like that. Thoughts like these were hard to stop though. He decided he would call Lars the first chance he got.

**xXxXx**

When Francis came to pick them up from the airport, he gave Matthew a quiet apology, because Arthur would certainly disagree with that. "I'm sorry, Mathieu. I tried."

Matthew shook his head. It wasn't Francis' fault.

A while later he came home to a brother who _also_ seemed to be upset with him. "You didn't even bring me a souvenir?" He had asked. And Matthew mentally cursed at how simpleminded Alfred could be sometimes.

He didn't really come down from his room except for dinner. It wasn't like he was allowed to go anywhere anyway. His phone and computer had been confiscated, so he either spent his days by reading or blankly staring at the ceiling.

His backpack still laid unpacked in a corner of his room. Eventually he got sick of having to look at it though, so he decided it was time for some unpacking. This was easier said than done. The unpacking itself wasn't that much work, but the memories certain items brought with them made it harder. He avoided his photo camera all together, he knew it was just full of pictures of him and Lars anyway. Though that effort proved futile when he found some pictures they had made in a photo booth.

The next thing he pulled out was a shirt. An orange one, way too big to belong to himself. He had borrowed it from Lars at some point, and apparently never returned it. That had been the same day as those pictures actually, he recalled. He brought the shirt to his face. He could still smell the other's scent on the fabric.

**xXxXx**

_Their hands intertwined, arms swinging slightly, they walked through the streets of Amsterdam. Matthew couldn't get enough of it. All the buildings looked so pretty and old. It was unlike anything he saw when he was home._

_They got to a beautiful fountain. Lars had to smile at the way Matthew looked at it._

_Matthew spotted a photo booth and tugged on Lars' arm and pointed at it. "Let's do that."_

_Lars chuckled. "Don't you have enough pictures yet?" Though he followed the Canadian into the booth._

_They had to sit close together in the small room, but neither of them really minded that. Matthew put a coin in. "Smile," He said. They were slightly blinded by the flash it made. Though by the time of the second flash neither of them was smiling anymore. This was because Lars had grabbed Matthew's chin and occupied his lips with something better than smiling. Matthew blushed brightly. "Lars!" He quickly looked around, only to find out that nobody could see them because of the curtain anyway._

_Lars laughed softly, practically pulled him onto his lap and kissed him again. They fooled around a little bit with some kisses and a few touches, but Matthew wasn't very comfortable with doing this here. Eventually he led them out of the booth with bright red cheeks. Cheeks which turned even redder at seeing that some of what they'd been doing had been caught on camera. Lars just seemed amused as he pocketed the pictures._

_He and Matthew sat by the edge of the fountain for a while, sharing some ice cream and playfully splashing each other with water. That is, until Matthew lost his balance and toppled backwards into the water. He surfaced, gasping for air and scrambled out of the fountain. The first thing he registered after he did so was Lars. Who was laughing. Very hard._

"_D-don't laugh!" Matthew wanted to yell at him, but it only came out in a soft voice. It also had no effect on the Dutchman, who continued to laugh at him for another good few minutes before standing and patting Matthew on the shoulder. The grin on his face never left though, which earned him a slight punch in the shoulder._

"_Sorry," He said, but didn't sound that way. _

"_Fuck you," Matthew pouted as he tried to squeeze the water out of his shirt._

_Lars chuckled. "That can be arranged," He moved in closer to the Canadian, wrapping an arm around his waist and getting his own clothes slightly wet in the process, a mischievous smile on his face. He placed a kiss on his cheek, then moved his lips to his ear and whispered against it. "Let's go back to my place and I'll help you out of those clothes."_

_Matthew gave him a light push. "Pervert," He said, but didn't object when Lars lead him away from the fountain._

_As soon as they got to Lars' place and the door closed behind them, Matthew started to remove his clothes. He had to get into something dry soon, but didn't want to drip over the whole floor. He knew how sensitive the Dutchman was about keeping things clean. It took him a moment or two to realize he had a spectator. As he dropped his shirt on the floor he saw Lars was watching him with a smug smirk on his face, clearly enjoying the show._

_Apparently he took the blush which appeared on Matthew's face at this as an invitation to the undressing-fest. With no more than two strides, he closed in on Matthew and backed him up against the wall. The Canadian gasped slightly as he felt the other toy with the hem of his pants. Lars took this opportunity to bring their lips together and let his tongue invade Matthew's mouth. Matthew hummed into the kiss approvingly. As Lars undid his belt, Matthew worked on getting rid of the Dutchman's shirt. They broke the kiss momentarily so he could pull the slightly damp thing over his head._

_Lars showered Matthew's neck and collarbone in small kisses, revelling in the little sounds he was awarded with. A shiver ran through Matthew's body, reminding Lars of the fact that he was still cold and wet. "You should take a shower," He said as he backed off the other a bit._

_Matthew gave him a small mischievous smile. "Then what are we waiting for?" He gently took Lars' hand and pulled him in the direction of the bathroom._

_On the way they shed the rest of their clothing. Their bodies were pressed close together in the small shower stall, their hands exploring each other as the warm water washed over them. Lars moaned loudly as Matthew's fingers brushed past his cock. He kissed the boy hard, starting to stroke his member in return._

_Matthew gasped for air. The small steamy room with Lars in such close proximity made him slightly dizzy and he felt his legs go weak. It was a good thing the other had such a strong hold on him. It wasn't long until the heat became too much and he came all over Lars' hands. The Dutchman wasn't far behind._

_For a while they merely stood in each other's arms, catching their breath and letting the hot water clean them off. They shared a few sweet kisses before washing up quickly and stepping out of the shower._

_Lars handed Matthew a towel. "I'll see if I got something that'll fit you," A small smirk formed on the Dutchman's lips. "Unless you'd rather walk around like this."_

_Matthew could see that Lars wouldn't have any problem with that last option at all. He shook his head. "I'd like some clothes, please."_

_Most of Lars' clothes were way too big for Matthew, but he managed to find an old orange shirt and some boxers that wouldn't be too bad. They were still rather baggy on him, but it'd do for now._

_They popped in a movie and spent the evening cuddling on the couch. Matthew couldn't help but fiddle with Lars' hair, despite knowing the Dutchman's dislike of people messing with it. "It's so soft now you haven't got it all gelled up," Surprisingly, Lars didn't shake his hand off and just shrugged. Matthew took this as an invitation to continue. Lars turned out to enjoy feeling the other's hands run through his hair. His head was leaning comfortably onto Matthew's chest. The film had ended already without them noticing, and the sky had turned dark._

"_You want to stay here tonight?" Lars offered._

_Matthew hesitated. "Isn't it a little pointless to get a room in a hotel if I don't sleep there?"_

"_Just call them and say you're spending the rest of your holiday here."_

_Matthew chuckled, until he caught the look in Lars' eyes and realized he was being completely serious. "Wait, what... really?"_

_Lars nodded. "Your clothes are still wet, and you can't go back to the hotel in my boxers. Stay here tonight at least."_

_Matthew nodded a bit shyly. "I'll think about it, but I'll stay for now," he leaned down to give Lars a peck on his lips, which the Dutchman happily accepted._

**xXxXx**

Tears had started to roll over Matthew's cheeks. He clung to the fabric for dear life. Heavy sobs made his body shake as he tried to keep it down so nobody would hear him. He grabbed his large stuffed polar bear and pressed his face into its fur.

He could've stayed there for a long time, hours maybe even. That is, if there hadn't been a knock to his door right then. Matthew tried to choke his sobs back and wipe his tears away. Not that it was any use, it was obvious that he was crying and the tears just kept coming. So when Francis stepped into the room and saw his boy like that, he sat down next to him and took him into his arms.

"Oh Mathieu. Shhh, it's alright," The Frenchman spoke soothing words as he rocked them back and forth. He stroked Matthew's back and just let him cry in his arms until he calmed down.

"I'm sorry," Matthew said, even though he wasn't sure for what. Call it a force of habit.

"Me too, Mathieu," His father answered. Francis spotted the strip of slightly crumpled photo's in Matthew's fingers and gently took them from him. He raised an elegant eyebrow as he looked at the pictures. "You hadn't told me he was this handsome."

A light blush appeared on Matthew's face. "...Yeah."

Francis glanced at the door before taking his cell phone out of his pocket and pushing it into Matthew's hands. "Call him."

"Wh-what?" Matthew uttered in surprise.

"Call him," He repeated. "Don't let Arthur see you though. He'd kill me."

Matthew looked at the phone in his hands with doubt. "I can't just call him. He doesn't want to speak to me."

"But Mathieu, don't say that. It wasn't your choice to leave." He lightly stroked Matthew's hair.

"He probably forgot all about me already," Matthew hoped this wasn't true. Hell, he practically begged to every god he knew that this wasn't the case. And even though he knew Lars didn't have a way of contacting him, he couldn't help but feel just a bit abandoned.

"No, he hasn't. I'm sure he'd be heartbroken if he didn't hear from you again," Francis placed a soft kiss on his forehead and walked to the door, looking back before leaving to give Matthew a small wink. "I know I'd be."


End file.
